Two versions of the Marx 999 locomotive

The open spoke and closed spoke versions run on the Minneapolis Northern

Name:    Todd Hein Forum User Name:    ToddH Railroad Name:    Minneapolis Northern Location:    Crystal Minnesota Scale:    O scale Theme:    Collecting Marx Description:    Marx made several versions of the 999, this video shows two early versions. The open spoke 999 was produced first, then after problems with the pilot breaking off the second version, the closed spoke, […]

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End of two eras

NYC26end

Two E8As and an E7B lead NYC 26, the 20th Century Limited, eastbound at VIckers, Ohio, on a summer evening in 1966, the train’s last full year. William L. Gwyer This picture was just about the last railroad photo I took. It was the culmination of my photographic exploration of contemporary railroading in the early […]

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MR Insider: 2016 NMRA National Convention Report

crowds at a model train convention

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page The City of Indianapolis, Ind., recently hosted the National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA) 2016 national convention, and MRVP’s Gerry Leone was there to capture some of the highlights! Come along with Gerry, as he shares the many ways you can experience and enjoy […]

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1939’s big breakthrough: The FT

TRNM1114

Seventy-five years ago on Nov. 25, 1939, Electro-Motive Corp.’s FT demonstrator diesel locomotive No. 103 left its birthplace at the company’s La Grange, Ill., plant. Nobody, not even its builders, knew what the new creation could do. True, the 17-year-old Electro-Motive had been a pioneer in diesel propulsion for railroad use, having built a successful […]

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Whistles for helper engines

TRNAT0814_01

On West Virginia’s Cass Scenic Railroad, engine crews with three Shay locomotives signal each other with whistles for moves and stops. Steve Sweeney Q In the days of steam, when railroaders didn’t have radios or other one-to-one communication, how did the engineer on the lead locomotive communicate to the engineers in the “helper” locomotives as […]

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Plans for a small town train station

BuffaloSusquehannadepot

Click on the link or image to download the plans. The prototype for this railroad depot is a former Buffalo & Susquehanna train station from Rushford, N.Y. The compact depot would make an interesting lineside addition to a model railroad. Harold W. Russell’s article about the station appeared in the September 2016 Model Railroader. […]

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New model trains for the week of July 28, 2016

Bachmann Train HO scale Harvest Express

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division E8Am and E9A diesel locomotives. E8Am: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Four road numbers (two each in DC and Digital Command Control). E9A: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (post-1959 repaint). Three road numbers (one in DC, two in DCC). Both models feature metallic finish, railroad-specific details, die-cast metal underframe, and Proto-Max […]

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‘Lake Shore Limited’ to temporarily lose dining cars

LakeShore

Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited pulls into downtown Chicago on Monday, July 25, with two Amfleet II diner-lounge cars in the consist. Recently discovered structural problems forced Amtrak to remove heritage diners, ones built in the 1940s and 1950s, and reassign structurally OK diners from certain trains, including the Lake Shore. Bob Johnston CHICAGO — Amtrak […]

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